“The Unicorn in the Garden” by James Thurber

One sunny morning a man was sitting in a kitchen and

eating his breakfast when he saw a white unicorn with a
golden horn eating the roses in the garden. The man was
surprised and went up to the bedroom where his wife was
still sleeping and woke her. "There's a unicorn in the garden," he said. "Eating roses." She
opened one unfriendly eye and looked at him angrily. "The unicorn is a fairy-tale beast," she
said, and turned her back on him. The man went slowly downstairs and out into the garden.
The unicorn was still there; it was now walking among the tulips. "Here, unicorn," said the
man and he picked a lily and gave it to the animal. The unicorn ate it little by little.

Happy, because there was a unicorn in his garden, the man went upstairs and woke his wife up
again. "The unicorn," he said, "ate a lily." His wife sat up in bed and looked at him, coldly. ‘It
had a golden horn in the middle of his head’, the man continued.
"You are crazy," said the wife, "and I am going to put you in a mad house." The man thought
for a moment. "We'll see about that," he said. Then he went back to the garden to watch the
unicorn; but the unicorn was not there. The man sat among the roses and fell asleep.

And as soon as the husband went out of the house, the wife got up and dressed as fast as she
could. She was very excited. She telephoned the police and she telephoned the psychiatrist;
she told them to come to her house and bring a strait-jacket. When the police and the
psychiatrist came, they looked at her with great interest. "My husband," she said, "saw a
unicorn this morning…"

The police looked at the psychiatrist and the psychiatrist looked at the police. "He told me it
ate a lily," she continued. The psychiatrist looked at the police and the police looked at the
psychiatrist. "He told me it had a golden horn in the middle of its head," she said. At a signal
from the psychiatrist, the police jumped from their chairs and caught the wife. It was difficult
to catch her but they finally brought her under control. Just as they put her into the strait-
jacket, the husband came back into the house.

"Did you tell your wife you saw a unicorn?" asked the police. "Of course not," said the
husband. "A unicorn is a fairy-tale beast." "That's all I wanted to know," said the psychiatrist.
"Take her away. I'm sorry, sir, but your wife is crazy." So they took her away, cursing and
screaming, and put her in a madhouse. The husband lived happily ever after.
VOCABULARY I
Fill the gaps with the words in bold from the text. (sometimes the form needs to be changed)

1. The man was really ………………………… when he saw a unicorn in his garden.
2. The man went to the garden and sat ………… the roses and …………... asleep
3. The woman was ………… and screaming when the police and the psychiatrist took her.
4. The unicorn had a golden horn …………………………. of his head.
5. The wife looked at the man ……………………………
6. At a signal from the psychiatrist, the police ……………….. from their chairs.

VOCABULARY II
Translate the following sentences into English, using the words from the text.

1. Bob zawsze pracował wśród młodych ludzi.

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2. Nie przeklinaj w obecności dziecka!
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3. Obudziłem się wczoraj w środku nocy ponieważ chciało mi się pić.
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4. Gdy usłyszała dobre wieści, podskoczyła z radości.
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5. Chociaż dzieci zasnęły przed 20.00, wstały późno następnego dnia.
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6. Obudziłem się wczoraj w środku nocy i potem nie mogłem zasnąć.
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7. Gdy stłukłam szklankę, popatrzył na mnie ze złością, ale nic nie powiedział.
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8. Bob był zdziwiony, że Mary do niego zadzwoniła. Myślał, że do niego nie zadzwoni.
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9. Nie dziwi mnie, że Bob rzucił palenie. Nie pali już prawie rok.
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10. Na szczęście pośród nas jest osoba, która wygrała.
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11. Ceny mieszkań podskoczyły na początku roku. / ceny mieszkań wzrosły
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12. Dzieci zostały umieszczone w szpitalu na badanie kontrolne.
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What would you do if …

- You could be invisible for one day?

- You won 1mln zloty in LOTTO?
- came back home saw police in your house?
- You really liked sb at work and wanted to know him / her better
- Saw a person shop-lifting?

What would you do if …

- Could fly for one day?

- Lost your mobile?
- Lent money to your friend and s/he didn’t give you back?
- Saw a little girl crying
- You really liked sb at work and wanted to know him / her better

What would you do if …

- You could be invisible for one day?

- You won 1mln zloty in LOTTO?
- came back home saw police in your house?
- You really liked sb at work and wanted to know him / her better
- Saw a person shop-lifting?

What would you do if …

- Could fly for one day?

- Lost your mobile?
- Lent money to your friend and s/he didn’t give you back?
- Saw a little girl crying
- You really liked sb at work and wanted to know him / her better